Drama staged to highlight new strategy to fight AIDS

TAIPEI--The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) launched a new strategy against AIDS Sunday by introducing a stage drama that portrays the social difficulties experienced by those infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

The drama is a part of a government campaign to prevent wider infection and to raise the quality of HIV/AIDS treatment, CDC Director-General Chang Feng-yee said at a press conference.

Although there have been only about 20,000 reported cases of HIV/AIDS in Taiwan, Chang said the number could be higher because some are not diagnosed and could be spreading the disease to others without their knowledge.

According to the CDC, 69 percent of the HIV/AIDS population contracted the disease through sexual intercourse (mostly through homosexual intercourse) and 40 percent of the victims are aged between 20 and 29.

In light of the trend of HIV/AIDS prevalence among young adults, Chang said the drama will be produced on video and distributed to high schools as well as universities nationwide.

Shouting the slogan “AIDs stops with me,” the director-general and other officials noted that the best way to keep the disease at bay is to practice safe sex at all times.

Former Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang also attended the showing with his godson, an HIV positive man who goes by the name of “Lady Bug.”

Preventing HIV/AIDS is everyone's responsibility, Yaung said, urging hotels to provide free condoms and calling on local entertainers to join the awareness campaign.